Dear gracEmail family,
It is with a heart of profound sadness and triumphant hope that I write to inform you that our precious Edward has been released from his mortal body and rests in the sheltering arms of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whom he loved and served all his life. Saturday morning, November 25, 2017, God granted him the gift of an easy passing with his loved ones beside him.
We have been touched by the hundreds of comments we have already received, as word has spread, from so many whose lives have been blessed by him. Edward was a remarkable man whose gifts were many. A … [Read more...]

gracEmail
September 21, 2017
Edward Fudge
So many of you have inquired of us and others after praying for our safety during the recent onslaught by Hurricane Harvey. We are thankful that we suffered no personal damage or even loss of power and we grieve for hundreds of thousands of others who did, including numerous gracEmail subscribers. Frank Coats is pastor of Lake Houston United Methodist Church, which was thoroughly flooded and has conducted Sunday services for the past several weeks in the yard.
Within our own Bering Drive church of fewer than 200 people, eight families were … [Read more...]

As I walk with my walker, I sometimes notice my palms are red from holding the handles too tightly, gripping it for safety and security. But I realize that neither safety nor security depends on the intensity of my grip. Instead, I am safe and secure for reasons completely unrelated to my own efforts and determination. In fact, my sense of safety and my perception of security are actually counter-intuitive. Compounded by Parkinson's, my senses of direction and balance actually mislead me as I trust in them.
These physical realities are also parables of our shared spiritual condition. We are … [Read more...]

God intended for this event to make an impression and it certainly did. Peter, James, and John never forgot what they saw and heard that day (Matt. 17:1 ff). The scene sparkles with symbols reflecting God’s salvation story. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John, his inner circle of apostles, up a very high mountain, reminiscent of Mount Sinai where Moses received the Law. It was a scene of thunder, lightning and earthquake. God's voice spoke so fearfully the people begged that Moses be their intermediary to hear his voice (Heb. 12:18-21). At Mt. Sinai Elijah had encountered God afresh, not in … [Read more...]

The OT often speaks of God as Israel's shepherd (Psalm 80:1; Ezek. 34:15). In Psalm 23 David personalizes the image. God is not only Israel’s shepherd, he is also David’s shepherd. The original Hebrew says “The Lord shepherds me,” as does the Greek Septuagint. Because God shepherds David, he will lack for nothing. This includes nourishment and refreshment – green pastures and quiet waters -- and personal renewal. God guides David in righteous paths, not only for David’s sake but for the honoring of God’s name. God provides peace of heart even in the most frightening of circumstances. When … [Read more...]

THE TWENTIETH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN.
As the 19th century began, many Christians across the spectrum believed that the original church had become corrupted and must be restored to its original purity and beauty. Thomas and Alexander Campbell believed they had found the key to doing that in the history of Israel. Just as God provided Moses with an exact pattern for building the Tabernacle, the Campbells believed that he also provided an exact pattern in the New Testament for his people to follow while restoring the apostolic, first-century … [Read more...]

THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN.
The New Testament provides the pattern for each of us as Christians, and that pattern is Jesus Christ himself (Matt. 16:24; Phil. 2:5; 1 Pet. 2:21). When God's people follow Jesus, they also become a pattern for each other (1 Cor. 4:16; Phil. 3:17; Heb. 13:7). Healthy teaching that is consistent with trusting and loving Jesus can also be called a pattern, and it also deserves to be followed (2 Tim. 1:13). In short, Jesus is our pattern, though he is also much more, and to say that we should follow his steps … [Read more...]

THE NINTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN.
ONLY THE PEACE OF GOD
Late last night, gracEmail subscriber Glenn Lashway sent the following in his weekly email column "Gleanings":
"Well, it's almost over. Just a few more hours from when I am writing this and we will have elected a new President. Pray for that person. The task of reuniting the country will be monumental, if even possible at all! I for one will be very glad that this whole thing will be over, even if only for a couple of years.
I will try very hard to remember that God is still on the … [Read more...]

THE SIXTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN.
Sybil Short Fudge Dewhirst is a gracEmail reader and zealous encourager of all things good and of everyone whose heart is set on doing good things. She also happens to be my mother. Now in her 94th year, Mom fills each day with devotional reading, Bible study, praying for family both physical and spiritual,and more often than not, writing them emails to encourage, console, guide and revive. (She also has her hair done and nails tended, eats food, and does light housekeeping -- no wings and halo, just a mortal … [Read more...]

THE SECOND DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN.
UNDERSTANDING REQUIRES LOVE
"I have found the following big picture ideas helpful as a framework for Christian interpretation of Scripture in God-honoring ways," writes gracEmail subscriber and blogger Bobby Valentine. (Read the entire article excerpted below at: stonedcampbelldisciple.com/
Creation rebelled and . . . erected a barrier between Creator and Creation. God is working within creation to redeem, restore and even glorify his creation. The Gist of that Story is this: God created the universe as an act … [Read more...]